“I need to check on that, let me get back to you”

What’s so hard about saying “I don’t have an answer to that right now”?

Back in the day, I'd leap headfirst into quick responses, only to facepalm myself seconds later.

What’s so hard about saying “I don’t have an answer to that right now”?

Time and time again, I’d fall into this trap until one day I decided to dig deep and uncover the inner workings.

Here are my conclusions

Hold Your Horses

We're so eager to respond with an answer. But hey, there's no need to sprint - it’s all in your head.

Give your thoughts the space they need to express the professional and experienced you.

Pace yourself.

The People-Pleasing Tendency

If you’re a people pleaser like I used to be, just remember - you don’t have to please them *right now*.

Take your time to provide a comprehensive, respectful, and relevant answer instead of a half-baked quick one.

(Lack of) Humility & Confidence

No one has all the answers, and that’s okay. Embrace the unknown, and relish the adventure of learning. Your colleagues will respect you for demonstrating integrity that you do not know.

Sound counter-intuitive, I know.

Apology Phobia (for not having the answer)

You’ve got nothing to apologize for. Want to answer faster, sharper, wiser? Awesome, do your homework and get there. But don’t be sorry for being human.

Embrace the perfectly imperfect you.

Apologies for the cliches, but cliches are cliches because they’re true.

Oops, looks like I forgot my last point…

Let me get back to you 😉